If this is your first time investigating giclée printing, you've entered a new market. The concept of Print-On-Demand eliminates the large up-front investment of outdated methods of fine art reproduction. No longer will you have to virtually learn a new art (printmaking) or hire the expensive services of an experienced printmaker to arrive at a museum-quality reproduction of one of your better pieces. That is not to say that giclée requires any less in the way of experience and talent. However, once the time and usually much lower expense have been invested, you’re ready to produce as many prints as you need . . . at the touch of a button.

An artist's limited edition of museum quality reproductions will generally produce more income than the sale of original art . . . and the artist still has the original. Naturally, the smaller the edition the greater the value of each print. That’s an entirely personal decision. Editions greater than 150 prints are stepping out of the bounds of fine art. Fewer than five and you’ll spend more per print than you can usually receive from your buyers. Most importantly, with the sale of each print, the original you still own becomes more and more valuable. Additionally, each print in the hands of a collector is not only exposure for the original, it provides a much wider audience for the artist as well.

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A bit of advance planning can end this madness once and for all. Spend the time to get together your work. Take it to the giclée studio. Have it shot. Have enough limited editions printed to sell and cover the setup costs. Print a few extras. Have those large works printed half-size so no truck is needed. Assemble or bind them nicely and put them in your closet. Next time you get one of those letters, tell them they’ll have it tomorrow and open the champagne!

It is true that setting up for the first giclée print will cost a about two hundred dollars. For an average size work, by the time you’ve printed your first five, the cost for each will dip way below one hundred dollars. Go up to the 25 range and that will cut in half again. Now you’ve arrived at a cost lower than that of a traditional lithograph.